#dagger

[newt00th]

Parrying Dagger Italian, ca. 1550–75

[zane-kun33]

"May thy knife chip and shatter."

Dune: Part Two (2024)

[descendinight]

Giselle - quick messy study

[tiffanysabrinatattoo]

Arms and Armour (1911) Auguste Demmin

[illustratus]

[sosuperawesome]

Stained Glass Daggers // Dark South Designs

[divesslow]

18th century daggers from India and Turkey

[sticksandsharks]

The Stalker

My cover illustration for the third issue of Will Morris’ GOSPEL, published by Image Comics! Third issue is now available in comic stores! 

[53v3nfrn5]

‘Heart and Dagger’ by Robert Mapplethorne for Helmut Lang (1982)

[saskaporcelana]

my jewelry box

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔅𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔞𝔰𝔥𝔨𝔞𝔯𝔱

[vvamolian]

Egyptian Athame Dagger w/ Scabbard 13" Ritual Knife Kris Stainless Steel Pagan

[writers-potion]

Writing Weapons (2): Knives and Daggers

Dagger vs. Sword

In many situations, daggers might be more plausible than a sword fight.

Dagger are eaiser to carry and conceal, lighter, faster, good for spontaneous action, suicide bids, self-defense and assassination.

Dagger vs. Knife

No clear distinction; terms used interchangeably

Dagger is more for thrusting with 2 sharp edges

Knife is more for cutting (slashing) with 1 sharp edge

Concealment

Carried in a leather sheath on the belt

Can be concealed under a cloak, in a bodice (sheath sewn into the bodice), in a boot, behind hari ornaments

Bodice daggers (popular in the Renaissance) had no cross guards.

Connotations

Beside its combat value, the dagger has lots of emotional and sexual symbolisms.

The closeness need to attack with a dagger creates intense personal connection. They are often used in fights where emotions are running high: gang warfare, hate crime, vengeance.

Due to its shape and the fact that it's usually worn on a belt made it a symbol of virility in many cultures and periods.

Sometimes it was the hilt rather than the blade: like in the case of bollocks daggers with two...balls on either side of the hilt.

Fighting Techniques

Stabbing:-

The dagger with long, thin blades are made to stab a vital organ like the kidneys, liver, bowel, stomach or heart.

Stabbing directly at the chest seldom works, since the blde may glance off the ribs. Position the dagger below the ribcage and drive it upwards, through the diaphragm and into the lungs. If the sword is long enough and your fighter is a professional, you can get to the heart.

If no professional, just keep going for the stomach and you'll get one of the vital organs eventually.

Slashing:-

When describing a slash wound, show a lot of blood streaming, or even spurting.

Slashing dagger fights are bloody - show your MC's hands getting slick with blood, grip on the weapon slipping.

The aim is to cut the opponent's throat or cut tendoms, muscles, or ligaments to disable. Slashing the muscles in the weapon-wielding arm is the most effective; insides of the writst or back of the knee is also critical.

Assassinations:-

Show good knowledge of the humna antatomy

Use a stabbing dagger

A single, determined, calculated and efficient stroke, probably below the ribs.

Self-Defense:-

Disable the attacker by slashing their weapon-wielding hand (elbow or wrist)

Quick, multiple stabs wherever the MC can get the blade to land; the attacker won't give time for careful positioning

If the blade is too short to do any significant damage, maek up for this by stabbing so ast that the pain and blood loss distracts the opponent.

Vegeance and Hatred:-

Someone who is motivated by raging emotions will stab the victim repeatedly, even after he is already dead.

The attacker may stab or salsh the victim's face, disfiguring it.

Contemporary street fights and gang warfare usually involves these.

Duels:-

If both fighters are armed with daggers, include wrestling-type moves as they try to restrict each other's weapon hand.

Show them trying to disable each other by slashing insides of writes, elbows, the back of the knees, etc.

Dagger + Sword

If the character is expecting a fight, they can hold a sword in their right hand, and a dagger in their left to fight with both

Sword + mace combination also common.

Blunders to Avoid:

Direct stabbing at the chest wouldn't work.

Hero cannot cut his bread with a stabbing sword

adapted from <Writer's Craft> by Rayne Hall

[archerinventive]

A happy and sleepy Sunday to you all. ❤️

May your day be calm and cozy. 🤗

Get your own prints HERE

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArcherInventive

Model Credit (last photo): Chase Kingsford

[sosuperawesome]

Bleeding Heart Jewelry // Ciao Qiao on Etsy

[theglintofyourblade]

Dagger with Sheath | Turkish | 19th century | Met Museum